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CONTENTS July 2019 No 69

issue sixty nine 2019 H o wa r d S m i t h Wh a r v e s • Th e E s p y • H a r b o r d D i g g e r s • Th e C a l i l e H o t e l

The cost of onboarding staff was, in and of itself, way more than the entire budget of our first pub!

$9.95 inc gst

9 771832 143005

— Matt Mullins, Sand Hill Road director

Venue: Howard Smith Wharves AV: Ampd Electronics

Pubs

10 The Esplanade Hotel 46 Ambarvale Hotel 58 Marsden Brew House 44 Leumeah Hotel

CONTACTS:

Hotels & Resorts

Entertainment

16 The Calile Hotel 40 Daydream Island Resort

Editorial Office: (03) 5331 4949 PO Box 295, Ballarat, VIC 3353 Sales Office: 0416 230329 PO Box 6216 Frenchs Forest NSW 2086 Editorial Director: Christopher Holder (chris@venuemag.com)) Publisher: Philip Spencer (philip@venuemag.com) Art Direction & Design: Dominic Carey (dominic@alchemedia.com.au) Graphic Designer: Daniel Howard (daniel@alchemedia.com.au) Circulation Enquiries: (subscriptions@alchemedia.com.au) Accounts: Jaedd Asthana (accounts@alchemedia.com.au)

38 Topgolf

Bars & Restaurants

30 Howard Smith Wharves 28 Nineteen at The Star 22 Diesel Bar 64 10ak 44 Mode Kitchen & Bar Alchemedia Publishing pty ltd (ABN: 34 074 431 628) PO Box 6216, Frenchs Forest, NSW 2086 info@alchemedia.com.au

All material in this magazine is copyright Š 2019 Alchemedia Publishing Pty Ltd. The title Venue is a registered Trademark.

Clubs

Regulars

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52 Harbord Diggers

Apart from any fair dealing permitted under the Copyright Act, no part may be reproduced by any process without written permission. The publishers believe all information supplied in this magazine to be correct at the time of publication.

They are not in a position to make a guarantee to this effect and accept no liability in the event of any information proving inaccurate. After investigation and to the best of our knowledge and belief, prices, addresses and phone numbers were up to date at the time of publication. It is not possible for the publishers to ensure that advertisements appearing in this publication comply with the Trade Practices Act, 1974. The responsibility is on the person, company or advertising agency submitting or directing the advertisement for publication. The publishers cannot be held responsible for any errors or omissions, although every endeavour has been made to ensure complete accuracy. 25/07/19

09 Smooth Operator 66 You Wish:

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L

ets talk about art… not something we talk about much in the public bars of Australia’s hotels. Then again, depends on how you define art, I guess.

The American painter Ad Reinhardt, painting in the early 20th century, said: “Art is art. Everything else is everything else.” Not overly helpful in narrowing down precisely what art is (or even narrowing it down loosely, now I think about it). But assuming you eventually worked it out, you’d at least have a decent shortcut to knowing what everything else was.

Which then begs the question: in seeking a definition for ‘art’, might it be simpler to define ‘everything else’? Once you’d done that, whatever remains would be the ‘art’. Now suddenly you’ve got the sort of conversation that belongs in the public bar, over a few beers (Monty Python’s The Meaning of Life playing in the background perhaps?). Reinhardt may have been riffing off an earlier American, the Paris-based writer Gertrude Stein, who declared “Art isn’t everything. Its just about everything.” Still not overly helpful, to be honest but eminently debatable in the public bar, where by all accounts the toughtalking, salon-hosting lesbian Stein would have been very much at home.

In the context of an Aussie pub, I reckon it was Andy Warhol who best pointed the way toward a definition of art. In typically mischievous style the larger-than-life pop-artist let us in on the secret to his success: “Art is anything you can get away with”.

So by that definition, art’s been a staple of every Australian pub since the sly-grog vendors set up on Sydney Cove. Of course, they were setting up on land that had played host to art and artists for some 50,000 years. Indigenous Australians are the heirs to the world’s longest continuous art tradition, an integral component of the world’s oldest living culture.

But the most important of all The Espy’s guests was a man named Alfred Felton. Alfred arrived in Melbourne from England in 1853 at the age of 20. He made one fortune selling hardware to goldminers, then made another manufacturing and selling pharmaceutical products.

Fabulously wealthy, he never married and never had children. He moved into The Espy in 1891, took-over and renovated four rooms on the ground floor, filling them to overflowing with art, sculpture, books and magazines. When he died in his bed at The Espy in 1904, he left half his enormous estate to local charities supporting women and children, and the other half to the National Gallery of Victoria to buy art.

Overnight the NGV became one of the bestendowed galleries in the world. The NGV’s art is worth about four billion dollars, with the art Felton’s estate purchased for the gallery worth about three of that four billion dollars.

In 1921, the new publican Thomas Carlyon opened the hotel to the public, built a ballroom (the now-famous Gershwin Room), and opened up a large performance space out the back of the hotel known as the Eastern Tent Ballroom, home to epic jazz performances throughout the 1920s and early ’30s. (And yes, isn’t it wonderfully ironic that the Gershwin Room was a ballroom with no live music… and the live music was out the back in the Eastern Tent Ballroom?)

Anyway, Tommy Carlyon never saw something he didn’t think would benefit from bearing his name (‘Carlyon’s Hotel Esplanade’!) so the international and local bands he hired for his Tent Ballroom were all renamed: Carlyon’s Orchestra, Carlyon’s Famous Players, etc…

ART: THE PUB TEST

20 YEARS DREAMING

We’ve long believed art had a place in our pubs.

There are the simple ways: we’ve always designed our pubs, for instance. That probably sounds a bit obvious. But remember, when we started in pubs 20 years ago, the last time a designer had been involved in any Melbourne pub was the day the architect had drawn it about 100 years ago. Design is an artform by any definition, and we were determined to ‘design’ our pubs, not just to ‘inhabit’ them. We believe storytelling is an essential part of our role as publicans, and design is an essential part of that storytelling. In other simple ways, we’ve always placed music at the centre of the customer experience. We’ve either carefully curated the music playing in the background, or hired great musical artists to perform in our hotels — and usually both. And of course, we’ve commissioned street artists and fine artists to adorn our walls, and purchased all manner of art and sculpture from all round the world.

But in the case of our new hotel, The Espy in St Kilda, art was destined to play a transformational, omnipresent role in our plans for the grand old girl. The first hotel on the site opened in 1856, and hosted live music from its very first days. The first publican on this site was Charlie Wedel and he made it his life’s mission to wangle cash out of the St Kilda City Council to pay for musos to play in his Hotel — the beginning of a long tradition! In 1878, when The Hotel Esplanade replaced that earlier version, it was not just Melbourne’s premier luxury resort hotel, it was its pre-eminent home to art, art-lovers and artists too. As well as a host of local artists, the renowned American author Mark Twain stayed at the Hotel, as did the actress Sarah Bernhardt.

We spent 20 years dreaming of one day owning the Espy. So when the time came, we had a pretty good idea what to do with it. And music and art were always going to be at the centre of what we offered. Not just because of that incredibly rich history but because, increasingly, music and art tap into something our market is looking for; and therefore something we’re looking for on their behalf: storytelling, experiences, once-in-a-lifetime moments. But how do you put art at the centre of a pub?

We started chatting to a dear friend of ours Janenne Willis, who had spent many years administering major arts events and festivals in Melbourne. A year before we reopened the Espy, we wandered round the empty building with her, dreaming together. Serendipitously, Janenne had just been on a six-month sabbatical, journeying the world studying the ways in which artistic endeavours were being relocated from arts houses and theatres, into more accessible public spaces… like hotels and pubs. Janenne became The Espy’s Artistic Director and set about building a big, rich, diverse program of artistic events. In our first 12 weeks alone we’ve run countless weekly dance classes, art classes, kids programs, and storytelling tours through the hotel, plus two major festivals spread across multiple days, through multiple rooms, to thousands of art-loving Espy punters.

Turns out art helps us do what we most want our pubs to do. In the words of the poet Thomas Merton: “Art enables us to find ourselves and lose ourselves at the same time.”

SMOOTH OPERATOR Art to Art. Matt Mullins is a partner in Sand Hill Road hospitality group

We spent 20 years dreaming of one day owning the Espy. So when the time came, we had a pretty good idea what to do with it

9

ART OF THE IMPOSSIBLE One of Australia’s most storied pubs, The Esplanade Hotel, was looking at a bleak future. Now its best days may well be ahead.

Story: Christopher Holder The Esplanade Hotel: 11 The Esplanade, St Kilda VIC (03) 9534 0211 or hotelesplanade.com.au

10

I

t’s not just the money. Sand Hill Road spent a reported $15m on The Esplanade Hotel’s refurb but the scale of the task — the enormity of the project — can’t be measured in dollars and cents.

Reopening The Espy came with a huge additional responsibility. The reason for that were various: It’s recent history has been vexed and emotional — local community activism helped stop an apartment complex being built on site. The Espy is a live music ‘shrine’ in Melbourne. The Espy is like a cross between a time machine and an ‘ice core’, providing a 140-year window into the history of Melbourne life and culture.

In other words, the ways to mess up any refurb by enraging one impassioned group or another were plentiful.

But even for a white knight operator, like Sand Hill Road, who a) knows pubs b) respects The Espy’s heritage c) is in it for the long haul; fixing The Espy, was no walk in the park.

“Taking a building like this and making it legal is really hard,” reflects Sand Hill Road director, Matt Mullins. “It’s just an enormous job. Even any basic work would trigger the 50% rule, which means you have to bring the entire building up to code. There were no fire services. The wiring was ancient. There was almost no air handling.

The egress paths were almost nonexistent. These were just massive challenges and all those things are hard to do in a building this big. It’s really hard if you’re building from scratch and it’s almost impossible if you’ve got to go back and retrofit all that into a 140-year-old building.”

ALL OR NOTHING All or nothing. No wonder so many pub groups sniffed around The Espy (when the previous owners asked for expressions of interest) and couldn’t make the numbers work.

To have a successful Espy business it simply wasn’t good enough to sell beer from the front bar.

Any plan had to activate the whole hotel — a hotel with a 1700-cap license and three levels.

“Level One had barely been inhabited for 20 or 30 years. The top floor had not seen any human activity for 50 years or more. Both levels were, essentially, condemned,” explains Matt Mullins.

“Working out how to activate the two upper levels was a real challenge. What would bring people? What meaning and purpose could we bring?”

What’s more, a large loading dock (a quirk of a previous Esplanade Hotel refit) presented challenges. “This huge, landlocked, light-locked concrete box at the back of the hotel, represented really valuable real estate in a pub but was a hard nut to crack,” recalls Matt Mullins.

“Resolving those challenges weren’t optional.

Unless we could activate those three spaces as well as everything else that had already been activated once before, the business wasn’t viable.”

BACK OF THE SERVIETTE Those early discussions around how best to draw people in and through the pub were intense: “We always knew we would put a garden at the front of the pub The first floor would serve as a dining and cocktail bar environment. And the top floor as a specialised cocktail bar. Those were all key.

“The loading dock… we played with the idea of using it as a brewing space or distillery before we arrived at the idea of putting our kitchen in there.

So the back of the serviette sketches didn’t look too different to the pub we see today.”

That said, it’s easy to doodle on the serviette, it’s another thing to pu t flesh on the bones.

MORE THAN AUTHENTIC Determining what the new Espy would look like and feel like had to be anchored in something

deeper than how people remember the pub in the last 20, 30 or even 40 years. The common theme was ‘gritty and authentic’. Great, but ‘gritty’ and ‘authentic’ wasn’t going to carry the whole interior design or, indeed, carry The Espy forward into the future.

“We dug deeper into The Espy’s history, and we found something truly amazing,” enthuses Matt Mullins.

We discovered how St Kilda was Melbourne’s playground for the rich and famous. In a city awash with gold rush money, The Espy was the grandest, most luxurious hotel in Melbourne.

“We came across the story of Alfred Felton [see Matt’s Smooth Operator column last issue], which typified the story arc of The Espy. Felton moved into the Espy in 1891. He was fabulously rich and left Melbourne an amazing financial legacy to good causes including the National Gallery of Victoria. Felton, almost single-handedly turned Melbourne from a filthy rich frontier city into a global cultural capital — with The Espy as this epicentre.

“We wanted to mine that rich cultural heritage.

But people don’t want to be lectured on that heritage, they want to be immersed in it. We’ve done that through the design of the refurb; by making live music central to The Espy offering but also meshing art, in all its forms, into who the pub is.”

ARTISTIC PROGRAM Alfred Felton brought art to the Espy thanks to an enviable personal collection he kept in his room.

Sand Hill Road would need to be a little less literal. But how? How does a pub do art?

The answer came serendipitously thanks to a chance meeting and conversation with an old friend of Matt Mullins, Janenne Willis. Janenne had run a number of arts programs over the years including the Next Wave Festival. Prior to running into Matt she’d just been on a 12-month sabbatical, travelling the world looking for inspiration as to how to bring art to people would wouldn’t normally subscribe to a conventional art program in a conventional arts venue. They got talking. And Janenne got to work, bringing art to The Espy.

There are a few early highlights, including The Espy’s Swell festival, which imagined what the future of live music might be.

The We’re All Going to Die festival examined life through the prism of anxiety and what it might look like to live a fearless life.

And among the headline festivals, the arts weaves its way through The Espy week: “I do a tour at The Espy every Monday night at 6:30pm. I take 16 ticketed guests through the pub and tell them the story of Alfred Felton,” enthuses Matt Mullins.

“We have a ghost tour on Wednesday nights where a local actor and storyteller tells the ghost stories of The Espy — another ticketed event.

Not only has the arts program been popular but good for the soul. Matt Mullins explains: “It’s been amazing running a fully subscribed arts programs in a pub, where people are comfortable and at home, where they can eat and drink and enjoy the arts. It’s been terrifically gratifying.”

LONG LIVE, LIVE MUSIC

The Espy is back hosting live music. There are 10 or more gigs staged on one of the three music stages every week. Sand Hill Road hasn’t skimped on the Gershwin Room refit, it’s a revival of the old room, but a completely up to date revival. For those who have fond memories of live music in the main bar, there’s bad news: “Philosophically we spent a lot of time working out what things were sacred about The Espy, and what things were not,” explains Matt Mullins. “Music is sacred — music was always going to have a home at The Espy. That said, we had to decide on exactly what that meant week to week.

“For starters we knew the Gershwin Room was sacred. But music at the old Main Bar wasn’t. It wasn’t sustainable to maintain the Gershwin room, the basement bar, and then a third, large, music venue in the heart of the hotel.

“We were aware that many would disagree with that choice, but after considerable deliberation, there was no choice.”

Sand Hill Road entrusted the task of fitting out the performance audio to Bruce Johnston. Bruce mixed more bands in the Gershwin Room than he cares to remember (or perhaps can remember), dating back to the early ’80s. His company Johnston Audio keeps most of the live music venues in Melbourne rocking. Bruce opted for a L-Acoustics sy stems based on ARCS loudspeakers at front of house, another three aside half way up the room and further delays courtesy of L-Acoustics X12 coaxial loudspeakers. A Digico SD9 console takes care of mixing duties. Each ARCS passive box is driven from a channel of an LAcoustics LA-8 amplifier. “The ARCS in passive mode sound amazing. They’re good bang for the buck,” says Bruce Johnston.

Johnston Audio Services: (03) 9362 0011 or www.johnstonaudioservices.com Jands (L-Acoustics): (02) 9582 0909 or jands.com.au Group Technologies (Digico): gtaust.com Eventcraft (Install): eventcraft.net.au

DESIGN FUNDAMENTALS The core architecture and design team, once again comprised of Justin Northrop (director of Techne Architecture) and stylist Eleisha Gray.

There was plenty of agreement in those early meetings. The original fabric of the building was sacred. It was to be preserved and where possible restored where it had been butchered.

From that starting point Sand Hill Road asks the same question it has with all 12 or so pubs it has refurbished over the years: ‘What will its market respond to?’

From that basis, the team worked on an overall aesthetic.

The fitout itself was anything but prescriptive.

11

POTTED RECENT HISTORY

In 1995 the Esplanade was bought by Carlton & United Breweries and sold two years later to the Becton Group, which proposed the building of an apartment tower behind the venue. But after Melbourne music lovers waged a successful battle, the pub was saved and the development behind it scaled back. In 2006 the Espy was bought by former nightclub operators Paul Adamo and Vince Sofo. In May 2015 it was closed and remained shuttered for three years.

Matt Mullins: “Vince and Paul did try to sell The Espy a few times over the years. We had a look at it once. We’ve always dreamt that maybe one day we would get to take over The Espy. But we were doing The Garden State Hotel when the pub was on the market, and we just couldn’t make the numbers work. We weren’t the only ones interested. I know a lot of people who had a serious look.

“A number of years later after we had the Garden State Hotel running we thought that we might look at The Espy again. By that stage Vince and Paul determined that if they weren’t able to sell it, they’d have to fix it up. So they closed it and started pulling together a planning application that would give him a permit to do some work on the site. About a year into that process we approached them and asked if they were still open to the idea of selling the pub. They were and we negotiated a deal pretty quickly.”

12

It was, by necessity, fluid. Matt Mullins explains: “We couldn’t simply draw something up for the builders. Someone had to find all the items that would determine the nature of the final fitout.

“At its heart was a huge schedule of around 1000 items we needed to slot into the pub. Everything from a sideboard, to light fittings, chairs, to whole bars. Over a year we had to find those pieces and get them on site for installation.”

Matt’s slightly coy about the process because he knows it sounds like many people’s idea of nirvana: “It fell to me to go to Europe to go treasure hunting.”

Matt had ambitious timetable, where he would scour antiques bazaars, auctions, and farm sheds looking for suitable items to populate The Espy, all the while cross checking his progress with a long Fixtures & Fittings spreadsheet. “I’d potentially be buying hundreds of items a day. And no, there’s no point complaining about how demanding a task it was, because no one would listen!”

The purchases would then wend their way back to Australia in containers. Hopefully ready for when the builder would turn around and ask “Where the hell are the light fittings for the first floor restaurant?”

BIG PUB COMPLEXITIES Once complete, there was no time to catch breath, for Sand Hill Road there was a big pub to run.

“We have a license for 1700 people. Mostly a big pub simply scales up from a pub of 500 capacity — commensurately more of everything. It’s all largely manageable in that regard. When the pub’s full-ish you have a sense of how well you’re doing. But it’s the staffing that has probably been the most startling aspect for me. We inducted 350 staff when we opened. That’s 80 chefs, 50 fulltime managers, assistant managers, duty managers and casual bar and floor staff. The cost of onboarding staff was, in and of itself, way more than the entire budget of our first pub!

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WELCOME TO THE ESPY

Check out the hotel’s very own podcast (called Welcome to The Espy) available for download from iTunes, Spotify etc.

“It’s part of the storytelling and that podcast studio is getting busier and busier,” notes Matt Mullins. “Chatting with people who’ve lived at The Espy or worked here or played here or helped build the place or helped save the place… it’s a joy.”

We love the fact we’ve been able to guarantee The Espy’s future for another season THE PAY OFF “There’s something magic about The Espy.”

Matt Mullins isn’t in marketing mode when he says this to me, he’s just marvelling at a spirit the hotel has that transcends the ‘offering’ or the fitout. There’s also something about seeing The Espy enjoying a new chapter. And, again, it’s Matt the punter rather than Matt the operator who just ‘loves spending time here’.

“This hotel was nearly knocked down on several occasions. On one occasion it survived a stay of execution at the 11th hour. When we took The Espy on it had already been closed for two y ears.

“If you leave a place like this to decay for five years, then chances are the next planning permit will be for apartments or mixed retail, it won’t be for a pub and the resolve of the locals — which has been tested time and time again — is worn down to the point where they’re too exhausted to fight the inevitable. The pub closes.

“We love the fact we’ve been able to guarantee The Espy’s future for another season of time.

Hopefully another 30 or 40 years.”

CONTACTS

14

Techne Architecture + Interior Design: (03) 9600 0222 or techne.com.au Hutchison Builders: (03) 9282 9500 or hutchisonbuilders.com.au

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MUM'S THE WORD It’s an Urban Resort that has touched down on Brisbane’s James Street, ready to challenge ideas of what a metropolitan hotel could be.

Story: Derek Powell The Calile Hotel: 48 James St, Fortitude Valley QLD (07) 3607 5888 or thecalilehotel.com

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T

he quirky website that introduces The Calile Hotel typifies the ‘different’ approach. The developers behind the hotel (and much of the rest of Brisbane’s James Street shopping and dining precinct), Michael and Cal Malouf, were keen the website have a “sense of humour and a personality”. So they engaged the celebrated (and Brisbane based) author Nick Earls to write the eccentric and engaging narrative that greets you when you browse to thecallilehotel.com.

The playful site tantalises but reveals only a glimpse of this multi-faceted property, which was named in honour of the Malouf family patriarch Calile Malouf. Attention to detail has been raised to an artform in both design and execution, and to understand what has been achieved, you really need to be up close and personal. To borrow a favoured quote from The Calile Hotel architect, Adrian Spence: “the better you look, the more you see”.

The hotel is managed by TFE Hotels, and is part of their TFE Hotels Collections brand, which includes the Gambaro Hotel on Brisbane’s other epicentre of style, Caxton Street. venue’s guide to The Calile was the energetic General Manager, Jeremy Nordkamp.

OPENING SPECIALITY Jeremy has made a specialty of opening new properties; his last role was launching a six-star remote wilderness resort in the Maldives. Some of his war stories, like having to ship fresh water in by barge when the on-site desalination plant dropped its bundle, are hair raising. The Calile though has been a very different experience for him, and he is full of praise for the Malouf brothers.

“Developers are normally looking for ways to make money from every available square metre,” Jeremy noted. “Our developers are just not on that matrix! They’re looking for ways to enhance the customer experience per square metre. In our accommodation rooms, the joinery is solid oak, not veneer. We have natural, sustainable cork through our rooms rather than carpet. We have Travertine marble in our corridors and right throughout the whole building. As an urban resort, The Calile is all about quality.

“Throughout the design process the designers really wanted to celebrate what Brisbane and Queensland is all about,” Jeremy continued. “We celebrate the warm weather we have year-round.

So you’ll notice we encourage everyone to be outdoors. All of our bedrooms have some form of outdoor area — whether it be a Juliet balcony or full balcony. Our guests have the opportunity to open the doors; walk outside; feel what’s happening in the environment before they come down into the foyer. Our corridors aren’t closed. They’re terminated by breeze blocks, allowing a natural air flow so you don’t feel you’re in a fake environment with air conditioning blowing on you. With every experience of the hotel we’ve really thought about touching all the senses.”

IMPORTANCE OF AMBIENCE An important part of the sensual experience is quality ambient music. Tucked away in the basement are eight sophisticated music video servers supplied by Nightlife. These provide carefully curated audio and music video playlists ranging from chill to dance music, pre-programmed to play into different areas at scheduled timeslots throughout the day and night.

The goals for the AV systems were well conceived, and quite different to those in most fourand five-star properties. The ambient music was to be high fidelity and required deftly engineered transitions between the various public areas — strings of she’ll-be-right in-ceiling speakers were never going to fit the bill. And unlike most properties, the function rooms were to have comprehensive AV facilities built right in and not rely on hired-in rigs from external suppliers. Crucially, the architects, Richards and Spence, were insistent that quality must be coupled with invisibility as far as the technology was concerned.

Taking on the design and installation challenge was Jason Roesler; whose company Soho Sound Design had a proven track record on previous projects with Richards and Spence.

SONIC ROLLS ROYCE In keeping with the resort feel, the heart of The Calile Hotel is an elevated, open air pool deck with outdoor dining, cabanas and sun lounges. The pool adjoins the busy fine dining restaurant Hellenika at one end and the pre-function space at the other. Each of these facilities needed its own sound system that was not only top quality but weatherproof. Complicating matters was the requirement of providing hi-fi audio while disappearing into quite different architectural treatments.

Jason went looking for loudspeakers that combine the unlikely traits of miniascule form factor, hi-fi quality, good pattern control and excellent resistance to sub-tropical sun and rain. He found exactly what he needed in the extensive Meyer Sound range. Meyer Sound is the ‘Rolls Royce’ of speaker manufacturers. Its products are often specified for top-flight live performance venues or international touring acts. But its tiny MM-4XP cube speaker was perfect for this particular job.

Jason’s clever design saw them popping up everywhere: on stalks in garden beds, on parapets around the pool area and hidden in ceiling crevices and service channels in function rooms and bars. Each self-powered enclosure required only a single cable back to its 48V power supply, simplifying cabling and eliminating the need for conduit in most locations. As well as a complement of MM-4s, each space also featured an MM-10 subwoofer — essential for full-range sound. The bulkier ‘subs’ were often sunk into a nearby wall or bulkhead with a painted grille rendering it virtually undetectable. In a first for the hotel industry, every function and public space within the hotel features Meyer Sound loudspeakers — either MM4XP cubes or, occasionally, Ashby ceiling speakers, matched with subwoofers.

FLEXING THE PARTY MUSCLE The combination of one sub with up to four MM-4s was endlessly versatile and potent. Each system could provide full-range ambient music; sound reinforcement; or club sound at up to 113dB, indoors or out. This flexibility suits The Calile Hotel admirably. With input points to each subsystem located in function areas; the pool deck; bar area and elsewhere, plus the facility to combine the sound systems across virtually any areas, there’s an capability to turn the hotel into party central for whichever of the precinct-wide events that characterise James Street. Management has been quick to seize the opportunities this uniquely flexible system offers.

“For New Year, we plugged the DJ’s console on the pool deck into the existing hardware and had him playing New Year’s Eve and all New Year’s Day.” Jeremy Nordkamp recalled. “And we had his music feeding down to the lobby; lobby bar; and the porte-cochère driveway as well. What’s more, there was no need for his own portable loudspeakers. One foldback speaker was all we added to a DJ coming in and taking care of a whole hotel!”

17

18

HIGH FUNCTIONING

KEEPING IT IN HOUSE

Next to the pool deck is the busy functions area.

A unique 100-seat outdoor auditorium perched above and a covered terrace bookend the Grand Room, which divides neatly into four. Kristie Mancell, The Calile’s dynamic sales and marketing manager, is enthusiastic about the flexibility offered by the elegantly designed space: “The use of the room can really vary,” she revealed.

“It ranges anywhere from an intimate wedding ceremony for 20 up to a conference for 180, cabaret style. Having the ability to be flexible in the space is what really sets us apart. It’s pillarless; it’s beautiful; it’s got natural light on both sides; and the presentation facilities are absolutely premium. The room itself is so simplistic and elegant. Our brides come in and they use a single vase in the centre of the table — they don’t need anything else because of the simple beauty of the space.”

Each of the four function rooms is equipped with complete audio and video systems. Two elegant lecterns along with a conveniently-located laptop HDMI inputs cater to corporate functions.

‘Quality’ and ‘elegance’ are the watchwords. The six projectors are up-market Christie models and the custom motorised screens are borderless, allowing them to blend into the white walls when deployed. Weddings, parties (and anything) are catered to with six in-house Nightlife music video channels. A touch of a button on the discreet control panel can instantly ramp up the sound to party mode creating a video disco with nightclub quality sound. The clever Nightlife video server even has a jukebox function called Crowd DJ which allows guests to a pick a song to play on the big screen using a mobile phone app — a real crowd pleaser.

From the design stage, the key deliverable in the audiovisual system was that the vast majority of functions be handled in-house without external equipment hire and operators. It’s quite a contrast to the more usual hotel operations which rely on a contracted AV supplier.

According to GM, Jeremy Nordkamp, the key to achieving the self-sufficiency goal was the right specification, quality equipment and a competent integration team. “From a hotelier’s point of view, working with Soho, as an integrator, and with Michael and Cal [Malouf], who are the developer; it’s just been a breath of fresh air,” Jeremy admits, “because they’re so focused on getting the AV right. It means my team members don’t have to spend too much time on the technology, giving them the ability to focus on what really matters — and that’s our customers.”

Kristie agrees: “If your AV falls down, your event is ruined. Regardless of whether your food and beverage is great and your service is superb; if those AV elements fall down at the last minute you can’t really recover. And because of how amazing this equipment is, every single member of our team knows exactly what to do to make sure it’s set up perfectly; and knows how to run through it with the organiser.

“In terms of offering, we are a premium product,” Kristie continued. “The food and beverage is very much the higher end of what everyone else is offering in Brisbane. But our clients know quality when they see it and they love the fact they can essentially plug in their AV and go. They don’t have to worry about an extra $1000 for a projector and screen, or an extra $400 for hand-held microphones. Even if we’re marginally more expensive on food and beverage, we still come un-

CABANA COMFORT

Attention to detail (a Calile watchword) even applies to the seven private Cabanas that line the magnificent swimming pool. During the day, they are kept exclusively for hotel guests, but at night they turn into outdoor dining for Hellenika at The Calile, the on-site Greek restaurant run by Gold Coast fine dining guru Simon Gloftis.

In keeping with the high standards of both The Calile and Hellenika, each Cabana is equipped for comfort with private power; a USB for phone charging; a ceiling fan; and an overhead Bromic heater, which the guest can control from within the cabana. Wait. Heating? In balmy Queensland?

“Yes, heating in Queensland!” laughs Jeremy.

“As Queenslanders we think we get three months of cold weather. And because we attract a lot of Queenslanders to our hotel, it was important for us to provide top quality heating.”

Bromic heating fits the bill architecturally, as it installs neatly in the compact cabana, leaving room for the ceiling fan and lighting. “They’re quite compact, but they’re beautiful and turning on medium heat will warm one of those cabanas quite easily,” Jeremy added.

But durability and effectiveness were also major considerations in the choice. Furthermore, Bromic heaters are also in the outdoor prefunction spaces which overlook the pool area.

“Obviously the heating is right by the pool, which is a saltwater chlorinated system,” Jeremy noted. “We keep them clean, but the equipment has to pass the test of time in that environment. We know the Bromic heating is not going to stop working because of moisture or a bit of salt.”

der because we don’t have an extra two grand of AV they haven’t budgeted for. So getting people to buy into what we’re offering hasn’t been a struggle at all.”

URBAN FIRST RESORT There is more to an urban resort than its public spaces. The 175 guest rooms, which include 11 suites and two penthouses, are truly distinctive. Attending to detail has made the difference according to architect Adrian Spence, quoted as saying: “We designed rooms with space big enough to unfold two suitcases, benches for shopping bags, vanities large enough for your own toiletries, operable windows to experience Brisbane’s great weather, and operable walls to enable customisation of the space”.

As you would expect, the same care has been applied to the in-room audiovisual aspects. Each of the generously proportioned and elegantly furnished guest rooms is equipped not with the usual 40-inch ‘hospitality special’ TV but with a 55-inch UHD spec Samsung panel, thoughtfully wall-mounted at just the right height for relaxed viewing. Attention to detail in audio quality starts right here. “Built-in TV speakers just can’t give any depth or quality of audio experience,” Jason Roesler

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insisted. Sound is important not just for the off-air experience, since the in-house TV system also delivers a selection of music curated by specialists, Nightlife. Accordingly a Samsung sound bar is wall mounted beneath each screen. “There was a lot of work in selecting, installing and controlling them,” Jason admits, “but we needed to make sure we had a hi-fi experience in-room just as we have in the public areas and function spaces.”

Fittingly, the last word should go to developer Michael Malouf. “We wanted to give people the Brisbane experience. We didn’t want carpet on the floor, dark panelling and dimly lit corridors with glowing room numbers. We wanted to embrace the subtropical climate. We wanted it to be bright.

We wanted to do something different.”

They did. It worked.

Beautifully.

CONTACTS Richard & Cal Malouf , Calile Malouf Investments (Developer) Richards & Spence (Architect): richardsandspence.com Huchinson (Builder): www.hutchinsonbuilders.com.au Soho Sound Design (AV Design/Integration): www.sohosound.com.au

FUELLED UP The man who introduced the discotheque to Australia keeps getting it right.

Story: Christopher Holder Diesel Bar: 202 Little Lonsdale St, Melbourne VIC (03) 9663 8078 or www.dieselbar.melbourne

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ike many great nightclub stories over the years, it all started with Saturday Night Fever.

Back in 1977 Jamie Nasser was in the US when he saw the seminal discotheque movie and was instantly inspired. He would return to Australia and establish the first discotheque in Melbourne — “up until that time, those types of venues in Melbourne were black and unappealing,” recalls Jamie.

He and his business partner at the time went scouting for locations. They found a likely spot in Chapel Street, South Yarra. It was a bouzouki venue that had recently suffered a fire. The owner was determined to rebuild and wasn’t particularly enthusiastic about selling to a couple of likely lads. “He wanted $130,000,” recalls Jamie. “Which we thought was a bit steep.”

They kept looking but grew more focussed on the appeal of the bouzouki bar. ”We eventually got back to him and said we’d take it. We had to beg and borrow the money but we scraped it together.”

The nightclub would be called Chasers — “named after a restaurant in L.A. where movie stars would wine and dine.”

Chasers was never going to be a dark, dingy, black box. It would be colourful and glamorous.

When the interior designer told Jamie his club would be predominantly pink throughout, his reaction was philosophical — “well, that’s different to black.”

It was a masterstroke. The nightclub felt attractive and safe. Chasers was an instant hit.

“A year or so later we had Olivia Newton John launch her album, Xanadu, at Chasers. We hosted a live telecast with [Countdown host and music industry guru] Molly Meldrum.”

In 1980, it simply didn’t get any bigger than this. Chasers had hit the international stage.

Jamie Nasser has been opening hospitality venues ever since. Sometimes with high-profile partners, sometimes not, but in every case Jamie was always hands on; pulling the levers; always the operator who knew names, and happy to gladhand the VIPs.

HITTING THE GAS Diesel Bar is Jamie’s sixteenth venue.

The beautiful heritage bones of the building

We were compelled to turn down the main PA from 126dB in the venue to 114dB... Admittedly you could hear the sound system three blocks away!

aren’t new. The structure was preserved from the Melbourne Central development wrecking ball. It was a two-storey retail outlet when Jamie first had a look. He brought in interior designer, Wendy Bergman (Chin Chin, Mr. Miyagi, Taxi Kitchen et al), who fell in love with the site as well. Jamie signed a 20-year lease. He saw the potential and was in it for the long haul.

Diesel has flown under the radar somewhat but has carved out a solid inner-city niche among afterwork professionals, and those wanting a more casual meal and a drink earlier in the night — a staging point before hitting the town.

Upstairs is a successful function space. Its central bar, dancefloor, booth seating and shared space for milling and mingling makes Diesel ideal for all manner of gatherings.

“The components of a successful late night venue haven’t really changed over the years,” observes Jamie Nasser. “What’s changed is the way you advertise yourself.”

Diesel Bar is extremely active on social media.

Take a look at the Diesel Facebook and Instagram pages and you will see a carefully curated presence that successfully promulgates the face of a classy venue for a mature, discerning patron.

“We’re really leveraging MyGuestlist,” notes Jamie Nasser. “We have 150,000 names there and

we send e-flyers, we send birthday offers… It all stems from offering high quality free wi-fi. It’s amazing the detail people are happy to provide in exchange for free wi-fi.”

BOOM TOWN Jamie Nasser has seen his fair share of booms and busts; instant successes and lines around the block. He’s developed a sense for when to ‘hold ‘em’ and when to ‘fold ‘em’. But regardless of how apparently popular the venture might be, he’s always tinkering under the operational bonnet — trying to get the balance right, as well as introducing something innovative.

“I’ve sold a lot of venues, and many of those are still in operation. I’ve not always sold at the top of the cycle but I’ve not done too badly either.

“If the venue’s formula isn’t quite right, you keep experimenting. It’s often easy to tell if an experiment works. If it does, then buff it up some more. Make it even better. Better DJs, live entertainment…

“Melbourne’s scene is far more crowded and you can’t take anything for granted. In days past you

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could be virtually guaranteed of a busy opening night. These days, if you don’t market yourself properly you could have an empty venue on your launch night.”

CROWDED OPENING HOUSE It sounds like an operator’s worst nightmare. And a far cry from the halcyon days when Melbourne was home to a good number of highly regarded nightclubs. Jamie recalls the 1987 launch of the legendary Metro nightclub where he and his partners dropped a whopping $4.2m in the fitout.

“We knew we had done everything humanly possible to make the Metro’s opening night a success. Molly Meldrum scored us a two-hour slot on TV. We made it a black tie event and we booked the most popular band in the country, Crowded House.”

On this night of nights, Jamie had an unexpected assignment: “I was told last minute that Stevie Wonder would be attending the opening night, and I was asked to look after him. I recall that during the night I helped him to the bathroom and he asked if I’d taken him to the dancefloor! He was responding to the fact we’d installed audio in the bathrooms which was probably a first in Melbourne at the time!”

BESPOKE AUDIO Audio has always played a key role in Jamie Nasser’s venues. Almost from the beginning he’s worked with Sven Langebeck who runs Warehouse Sound Systems in Melbourne.

Sven is a clever chap who prides himself in providing solutions tailored to the venue – “He’s not the cheapest but I keep coming back to him whenever I open a venue,” states Jamie.

When I meet Sven at Diesel Bar he’s already tweaking levels on his audio control app. The app is controlling an Allen&Heath rack mixer, called a Qu-Pac. The product is marketed as a capable live mixer for pubs, churches and other venues. Sven sees it as the best-value 16-in/eight-out installation

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mixer on the market with a great app that’s just as at home on a tablet as it is on a smartphone.

“It’s powerful and effective and everybody can use it,” enthuses Sven. “It’s suitable for novices of every kind,” he continues, tongue in cheek. He also reckons he’s probably the only person in town using the mixer in this way (not any more! — Ed.).

SCREAMING ON THE INSIDE The key audio constraint on Diesel is the noise — there are very strict limits on how much sound can escape the venue before the noise police will arrive. Melbourne Central venue management provided strict sound emission demands on Diesel, while half a block away in a downtown apartment live a couple who know the by laws back to front and have a hotline to the EPA. Jamie points to their flat windows from Diesel’s first floor, “the thing is, there’s a nightclub in the basement of their building!”.

Leaving aside the madness of moving into a building with a resident nightclub then going on a litigious campaign of noise outrage, Sven was keenly aware of his job: provide a sound system that would provide clarity, warmth, excitement but would also stay within the confines of the venue.

“The audio system needed to be easy to listen to over the hubbub of conversation,” explains Sven.

“That’s not actually ‘background’ music anymore.

You need about 90dB of level to be heard over a room full of party goers.

“To keep the overall levels down but maintain some intimacy and excitement we needed to install a distributed audio system — more loudspeakers doing less work… no hot spots or dead spots.

“Secondly, we wanted the room to sound even tonally — a similar balance between highs and lows throughout. “ As an aside, The Metro also had the noise police come knocking some years after launching — more locals were moving into the CBD in the ’90s, and they didn’t take kindly to having masonry falling from the ceiling.

“We were compelled to turn down the main PA from 126dB in the venue to 114dB,” recalls Sven.

“Admittedly you could hear the sound system three blocks away!”

LEFT OF FIELD SOUNDFIELD Sven chose the comparatively new Bose F1 loudspeaker for the venue. Again, the choice demonstrates Sven’s ability to see through the marketing to determine a product’s suitability.

You won’t find the F1 installed in many hospitality venues, as it’s a product primarily pitched as a portable PA option for venues, DJs and bands.

“The Bose F1 lend themselves ideally to the job because they achieve quite high sound volumes without ever sounding harsh. They have a smooth sound and, importantly, a smooth off-axis sound.

The F1’s performance meant we were able to achieve a very even soundfield while using only 16 loudspeakers. With other brands we might have to use many more.

“The peak output of the F1 is 110dB, thanks to an onboard 1000W amplifier. We’ve capped the output to 90dB, so there’s plenty of headroom — there’s no audible distortion.

“The venue has five audio zones, so we can tailor the levels according to the need of the function.

We can choose from five sources, including a Nightlife music system.

“Mostly, I’ve mounted the F1 horizontally in the ceiling. The F1 has a unique design whereby you can set the curve of the array within the loudspeaker to be flat, a J curve or a C curve.

I’ve elected to use a C curve, and achieve a very

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smooth 100° x 100° sound dispersion as a result.

“I really think the Bose F1 is a radical departure from other loudspeaker designs. The homework

by Bose R&D is obvious. There’s a good harmonic balance, matching what you’d expect to hear in your music content. The harmonics in the voice are well balanced, for example, there’s no harshness in one region or accents in another. When we do any EQ to the F1 it’s always minimal and mostly addressing anomalies in the room.

“I’ve been in this business for over 40 years, and I can tell you that the Bose F1 is one of the best general purpose speakers ever designed.”

CONTACTS Warehouse Sound Systems: (03) 94174866 or www. warehousesound.com Bose: www.pro.bose.com TAG (Allen & Heath): (02) 9519 0900 or www.tag.com.au Nightlife Music: www.nightlife.com.au Bergman & Co (Interior Design): bergmanandco.com

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Star Power High rollers and steak lovers line up for Gold Coast glamour.

Story: Derek Powell Nineteen at The Star: The Darling at The Star Gold Coast, Broadbeach QLD (07) 5592 8719 or www.star.com.au/goldcoast

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oasting “the perfect combination of boutique design and luxury”, the new Darling Hotel at the Gold Coast’s Star Casino features 56 suites that range from luxurious all the way to palatial with penthouses that can set you back as much as $6000 a night. When The Star Gold Coast looked to open a signature venue at the very top of the new Darling Hotel tower, they didn’t take a gamble on its success. Instead, Star invited proven industry winners, each at the peak of their game to make the most of what is literally the Gold Coast’s top location.

The sophisticated eatery encompasses a 110seat restaurant matched by an ultra-stylish lounge bar which can accommodate 300-plus.

Taking charge is an A-team combination of restaurateur Simon Gloftis and entertainment/PR doyens Billy and Jacki Cross. All three hit the ground running to ensure the first year of operation has been spectacular.

TEEN AGE Simon Gloftis has followed up the runaway success of Hellenika and the two-hat awarded Fish House with a deft hand at Nineteen at The Star.

Together with head chef, Kelvin Andrews, he has scoured the land (and the sea) for the absolute top quality produce. Kiwami Wagyu beef from Stockland’s Kerwee feedlot on the Darling Downs was only available in top restaurants in Asia and the US before Simon wangled an exclusive deal for his restaurant. Now the exquisite Wagyu, awarded as Australia’s finest beef, is only available in Australia at Nineteen, as a 400g sirloin for a beefy $240 a plate.

One-time Manpower star, Vegas operator, and local legend Billy Cross has previously owned nine nightclubs in Surfer’s Paradise. He knows a thing or two about creating an atmosphere and has worked to create the best rooftop bar in Australia. With the backdrop of the unmatched Gold Coast view, he’s targeting the over-25s with what he promises is an “edgy but classy feel”. His partner, PR queen and marketing guru Jacki Cross, has delivered an A-list celebrity clientele that has seen the venue become the place to be during every Gold Coast event from the Commonwealth Games to the TV Week Logies after-party.

HIGH RIDING Morale amongst the staff is riding high, as Nineteen at The Star duty manager Lee Donily explained during a recent visit by venue. “It’s a golden age to be here in the Casino,” he confided.

“A massive amount of money has been spent in making The Star Australia’s leading integrated resort. Everyone’s enthusiastic; everyone’s on a high; everyone’s pushing each other to be better.”

For Lee, the crucial factor is service and that means creating the best possible team. “We hire on personality,” he explained. “I don’t care how experienced you are, if you’re not warm, friendly and willing to go above and beyond for your guests to create those experiences — in the casino we say ‘thrilling experiences’ — then you’re not the person for us. Creating that culture and that level of service makes people talk about the Gold Coast; talk about this Casino; talk about coming back — and actually coming back. We have many regulars at a high calibre internationally, locally and also domestically. So I think it’s working well.”

NO GAMBLE With the three pillars of offering, atmosphere and service a sure bet, there is one thing that remained a gamble nineteen floors up — the weather. The day venue visited, a brisk south-easterly and chilly squalls was keeping punters away from the outdoors at ground level. But not on the nineteenth

floor. s inconspicuous as they were effective, a bevy of Bromic heaters kept the crowds on the lounge bar terrace glued to the spectacular views and happily imbibing the signature cocktails.

So how important is heating, even on the Gold Coast? “Extremely!” Lee laughed. “The outdoor offering makes up some 50 percent of our bar floorspace and the bar generates a large proportion of our revenue. So it’s very important. We’re a premier venue and we need premier products that look good and work well. That’s why Bromic has been chosen. It’s done its job for close to a year now. So if our customers are cold; we turn the heat on. Instant happiness!”

CONTACTS

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Bromic Heating: 1300 276 642 or www.bromic.com.au

QUAYS TO SUCCESS The Howard Smith Wharves have been utterly transformed into a multivenue F&B cornucopia for all.

Story: Preshan John Howard Smith Wharves: 5 Boundary St, Brisbane City QLD (07) 3188 9090 or www.howardsmithwharves.com.au

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t’s a pleasant, sunny day when I step into the Howard Smith Wharves precinct in Brisbane. As far as location goes, where I’m standing is a property developer’s dream.

It’s hard to believe that two years ago, this strip of premium heritage-listed real estate was nothing more than a derelict dump for impounded cars, largely unused since the 1960s. Now it’s home to Brisbane’s benchmark hospitality hotspot for riverside dining and leisure.

ULTIMATE LOCATION Howard Smith Wharves is best thought of as a destination than a venue — thanks to the smorgasbord of restaurants and bars; hireable event spaces; and most recently, a boutique Art Series hotel. It takes a little exploring to get your head around this place.

Tucked underneath Story Bridge next to a bend in the Brisbane River, any spot along this prime piece of land offers panoramic views of the city skyline. Back in 2013, Brisbane City Council selected HSW Nominees to breathe new life into the abandoned 3.4-hectare plot. Led by director Adam Flaskas and with a history of refurbishing heritage buildings, HSW Nominees rose to the challenge by delivering a destination Brisbane dwellers have gladly adopted as one of their city’s go-to hospitality destinations.

PEOPLE PLEASING

HEARING IS BELIEVING Ensuring every patron on Howard Smiths Wharves soil is given the experience they came looking for is no small task from a hospitality perspective. With years of experience under his belt, Lance knows a thing or two about what customers look for. And it extends beyond just high quality F&B. “Guest expectations in this day and age are so high that you want to make sure everything is en pointe,” Lance observes. “As far as I’m concerned, music and lighting are the No. 1 and 2 things you need to get right in a venue. AV is one of the main aspects people notice, or don’t notice. If they do notice it, it’s usually because you’re doing it wrong. If they don’t notice it, it’s usually right.”

Brisbane-based audiovisual integrator, Ampd Electronics, chose to use a QSC Q-Sys audiovisual network backbone throughout the site. This connects all the individual venues together, allowing any audio source to be routed to any destination.

With a hospitality destination this large, there are distinct advantages installing an audio network that spans the entire precinct.

“Having the Q-Sys network running across all of the venues allows us to play any of the Nightlife music video playlists through any venue at any time,” says Lance. “We have a certain sequence that automatically turns on at 6:30am through all

the outdoor speakers because we wanted the public using the precinct as a thoroughfare to feel a bit amped up on the way to work.”

Live bands or DJs perform on the outdoor grass area opposite the fish ’n’ chip shop. By simply plugging an output of their mixer into a converter box, their audio feed enters the Q-Sys network and is instantly available anywhere on the site.

Loudspeakers are by both QSC (outdoors) and Martin Audio (indoors). A look through the AV spec list tells you HSW Nominees didn’t skimp.

In Felons Brewery alone you’ll see (or hear) 27 x QSC AD-S6T loudspeakers generously appointed through the outside eating areas, 15 x Martin Audio CDD6 premium loudspeakers inside the venue, 4 x Martin Audio X210 subs cleverly mounted on the diagonal ceiling beams, plus another 16 loudspeakers dotted around the place for good measure. That’s 62 loudspeakers in just one venue.

“We didn’t hold back on the speakers,” says Lance. “Our director wanted the music to be amazing and the system has really delivered. You get what you pay for with this stuff. I’ve used QSC and Martin Audio in other venues in the past and it’s the best. For us it was a bit of a no brainer.”

“There are QSC networked amps at each venue, each providing full monitoring,” says Matt. “We can look at speaker load on each one and report faults based on, for example, a speaker shorting out on the other side.”

The guiding philosophy behind Howard Smith Wharves is to offer ‘something for everybody’.

The venue’s tagline is a place to eat, drink, play and stay. Be it Friday afternoon drinks or an upmarket dining experience, you’ll find something at Howard Smith Wharves to match your mood.

“We’ve tried to make all our venues attract a very broad market,” comments Lance Burrows, General Manager of Hospitality at HSW. “You get 18-year-olds all the way to 60-year-olds, and families as well. There are kids everywhere. It’s also a dog-friendly venue.”

A large amount of public space is designed into the Howard Smith Wharves’ footprint.

Sitting between New Farm and Brisbane CBD, the precinct offers foot commuters a new riverside route through to the heart of the city – the only previous option being a walk along roadside footpaths. For this reason, the HSW walkways are wide and cycle-friendly. Joggers and cyclists are everywhere, enjoying the chance to exercise with this new access to the city. Behind the wharves are the stately cliffs of New Farm and Fortitude Valley. Two lifts were installed along the cliff face to carry people to or from the urban roads above.

DINING OPTIONS The central pub, Felons, was the first venue within HSW to open its doors towards the end of 2018. Since then Mr Percival’s cocktail bar has opened, along with ARC dining and wine bar, an independently operated Greek restaurant called Greca, and a fish and chippery. There’s never a dull moment, especially on weekends.

“It’s packed out here on a Friday and Saturday night, and it has been ever since it launched,” says Matt Hayes, Operations Coordinator at Ampd Electronics, which took care of the audiovisual design and installation. “The builders were sweeping the floor out on opening day, the site opened at 11am, and by 12pm you couldn’t find a free table anywhere. And that was a Thursday lunchtime.”

“Another advantage is that the whole site is licensed,” says Matt. “So you can grab takeaway beers and go sit on the grass, or buy a plate of fish ’n’ chips and go sit by the river to eat it. It is unique in that aspect.”

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Felons: More than a steal

“The precinct ticks every box,” enthuses Lance Burrows, General Manager.

“Felons Brewing Co, as a venue, is an approachable offering. It’s not expensive, it’s everyday, the location is unbelievable.

It’s a brewery and, yes, beer comes first here. But you can stay for a longer period of time and enjoy the food too. It’s very traditional pub-style food — pizzas, burgers, parmas — but we’re not just banging it on a plate. We genuinely care about the way we deliver our food and I think it shows in the product.”

It’s packed out here and has been ever since it launched — Matt Hayes

Excuse me Mr Percival’s

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“Mr Percival’s is a cocktail bar with a slightly more premium offering, where you’d go before and after a meal. Then for a really elevated experience, we have ARC. Understanding the scope of each venue as well as the scope of the precinct as a whole was important,” – Lance Burrows, General Manager.

when you enter, you feel that sense of elevation and of rustic grandeur — Jonathan Barthelmes

GRECA: SHEDDING PRECONCEPTIONS

Restaurateur Jonathan Barthelmess’ GRECA is a high-profile denizen of the Howard Smith Wharves.

The indoor-outdoor trattoria, designed in collaboration with interior architect George Livissianis, is complete with an open kitchen and fire pit, serving the type of Greek food that conjures thoughts of a Mediterranean island village. Embracing the warmer climate, tables spill out into the open air, while core timber components are retained in the spartan interior, brought to life with Mediterranean whites, polished concrete floors and simple furnishings.

To celebrate the produce, and connect the kitchen to every part of the dining room (including the outside areas), creating the kitchen in the centre of the room was a key component of the restaurant’s design. The textures and colours of the shed inherited at Howard Smith Wharves were taken into consideration, refreshing its dark and textured walls and whitewashing them to give them a fresh new skin — adding light and uplifting it so that when you enter, you feel that sense of elevation and of rustic grandeur. Texture was added to the space with soft linen curtains, woven chord seats and rich timbers, and waxed paper lantern shades have enriched the space with energy and intimacy and a simple pop of colour has tied it all together with personality and a youthful edge.

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SECURE

MAKING LIGHT WORK As for AV control, it all runs from a central Crestron CP3 system which is interfaced via Crestron touchpanels wall-mounted in each venue.

Automation plays a big role behind the scenes.

Evening lighting is turned on when the sun sets and the majority of music playback is scheduled.

Not only does this mean the loudspeakers can be utilised outside of operating hours, but Lance says it reduces the need for micromanagement on his part.

“Training people on managing music and lighting inside a venue takes a lot of your time and it can be really frustrating. Putting in a good system that can automate things for you across multiple venues really takes the headache out of it. Our lighting is programmed through Dynalite and that’s controlled by Crestron too. It’s automated based on the sunset timing. That takes the pressure off having to continuously reiterate to your staff like a broken record, ‘The lights aren’t right, guys, can you fix it?’ You can trust that it’s always suitable. The same applies to the music — it’s all scheduled to turn on at the right volumes and the managers can adjust it if they like.”

HOMEGROWN SUPPORT HSW Nominees has certainly succeeded in turning Howard Smith Wharves into an appealing attraction for locals and tourists alike.

Lance is grateful for the local support. “Brisbane has really bought into what we’re doing down here. Brisbane people are generally very proud of their city and this destination adds another dimension to it. It has really raised the bar for hospitality in Queensland.”

CONTACTS TAG (QSC, Martin Audio): (02) 9519 0900 or www.tag.com.au Ampd Electronics: (07) 3311 6049 or www.ampdelectronics.com.au Crestron: 1800 555 040 or www.crestron.com.au

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Hire Purpose

Extending beyond hospitality, the Howard Smith Wharves precinct is home to a number of hireable event and function spaces. With venues catering for everything from small boardroom meetings to a tradeshow, the events market forms a sizeable slice of the Howard Smith Wharves pie.

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Venue: The Calile Hotel

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Hot Shots Topgolf Gold Coast: Cnr. Roadshow Way & Entertainment Dr, Oxenford QLD topgolf.com.au

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opgolf is much more than a fancy driving range.

Guests are assigned a private hitting bay where they can choose from seven games and score points by hitting microchipped balls into targets, all while enjoying good-time party food, top-shelf drinks, big screen TVs and music.

More than 40 Topgolf outlets in the US have been rolled out in quick succession and now the first has landed in Australia.

It’s an impressive venue; the level of comfort and amenity is astonishingly good.

Topgolf is part of the Village Roadshow Theme Parks precinct on the Gold Coast, and represents a $35m+ investment.

There are some 90 bays to play from over three levels, and the venue caters to larger groups, events and private functions.

Located in South East Queensland, you might suspect that outdoor heating wouldn’t be a design prerequisite, but you’d be mistaken: outdoor heating was a non-negotiable component of the build. Warner Bros Project Manager Cameron Crawford, explains: “There are more than 40 Topgolf outlets in the US and they all have heating. We couldn’t replicate the radiant tube-style heating the US favours, which is why we engaged Bromic to help walk us through the options.”

Bromic developed a heating plan for Topgolf that features Bromic Platinum 500 Series Smart-Heat Gas units. Each bay offers individual control of the heating levels. “They’re LPG units which help keep the power bills down,” observed Cameron Crawford.

Topgolf launched in June 2018 and its popularity ensured some rigorous stress tests of all the systems, including the heating.

“During windy winter evenings, the heating provided an extra level of comfort for our patrons,” continued Cameron Crawford. “We would have 1000 or more patrons in the venue

CONTACT Bromic Heating: 1300 276 642 or www.bromic.com.au ULA Group (VuePix): 1300 852 476 or ulagroup.com

and the Bromic heating performed exceptionally well. We’re glad we chose Bromic.”

TOP TECH Technology represents a large chunk of the Top Golf experience. Cameron Crawford explains: “We pride ourselves on the technology: everything from the fact our bays are climate controlled — come rain, hail or shine Top Golf patrons can have a great time — to the entertainment package.” The package extends beyond those ‘whacking the agate’. (Saying that, the micro-chipped golf ball games are immediate and impressive.) Each bay features a selection of IP-rated screens and guests can select the program, including Fox Sports and pay per view.

Beyond the bays are two enormous VuePix LED screens, which raise the excitement level of the venue up another notch. Each of the large-format displays is over 14m long and 4m high. The LED panels feature automatic brightness sensors, assuring the perfect viewing experience in any light condition, even during the direct sunlight.

The big screens are viewable from every bay serving a number of purposes — everything from playing paid advertising, personalised messages (think: ‘happy birthday/retirement’ etc) to the big match.

The huge (32m x 32m), illuminated Topgolf logo is also noteworthy. ULA took care of the huge assignment. The Aluminium extrusions were powercoated in a specific tone of blue to match the original Topgolf logo, and then adorned with 500m of LED Neon flexible linear lighting system. — Christopher Holder

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Living the Dream Daydream Island Resort: daydreamisland.com

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aydream Island resort on Queensland’s Great Barrier Reef is back! Battered by 260kph winds and a tidal surge that saw two feet of water flood through its main buildings, the resort was almost destroyed

by Cyclone Debbie in March 2017. Now, thanks to a $140m makeover, it is back in business and looking great.

The resort has been transformed with new restaurants and bars, expansive suites looking out to the Whitsundays and an idyllic pool.

The new-look resort designed by architecture firm, Hunt Design, pays homage to the beauty of the region and the heritage of the classic Queenslander. Public spaces such as the Atrium have been created to be welcoming with the outdoors sprawling in through colonial shutters, a vibrant green wall and an alfresco area looking into the Living Reef.

The resort features 277 contemporary rooms and suites with views of either the tropical gardens, pool or out to the ocean. Three new restaurants and three new bars are all defined by their own distinct design and flavour. Executive Chef, Keith Le Fevre and F&B Manager, Adrian Tyler have created menus that showcase the best seasonal produce of the region at each restaurant.

CONTACTS NQAV: 1300 466 728 or nqav.com.au Bose Professional: pro.bose.com

BOSE RISES TO CHALLENGE The resort is looking and sounding great thanks to an all-new Bose sound system installed into all the public spaces by local integrators NQAV. The central music sources connect to a Bose DSP with a Dante card that sits on the Island’s network. Bose networked amplifiers, with a Dante card in each, provide amplification at each zone. Having all the audio on the network means remote monitoring is possible — ideal for an island install.

Bose DS series loudspeakers were selected throughout — from the DS16SE to the larger-format DS40SE for areas that need more oomph.

In the function rooms, NQAV kept the entire installation network based, choosing AMX encoders and decoders to provide input plates and receivers for both the Hitachi ceiling projectors and the Panasonic trolley-mounted monitors.

Daydream Island’s IT Manager Craig Williams is delighted with the NQAV installation. “We had a very outmoded system that dated from the original resort,” he summarised.

“We were looking for something that would last long term.

And we needed something more professional, with a much cleaner, crisper sound. I think with the Bose system we’ve got that.” .

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A La Mode Mode Kitchen & Bar: Four Seasons Hotel, George St, Sydney NSW

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ny time of day and late into the night, the refined traveller can jump off a boat at Circular Quay and head straight for the sleek sanctuary of Mode Kitchen & Bar. Situated in the ground floor of the Four Seasons Hotel, Mode is brassy and warm, the soft glow of the lighting reflecting off multiple mirrored surfaces. The cosy shades, shadows and mix of textures reference art deco design. “Our inspiration came from the exuberance and glamour of the 1920s, and the grand hotels that flourished during this era,” says Rachel Luchetti from busy Sydney design firm Luchetti Krelle.

Mode is nestled inside its own fluted-glass façade in the hotel’s foyer — guests are led into the space through a small indoor laneway. Secluded seating around the perimeter of the venue is matched with the handsome 9m-long bar in the centre, where travellers can sit to write their postcards and enjoy their cocktails, while eye-to-eye with the bar staff on the single-height bar top — inspired by the European habit of a more communal dining experience. Luchetti explains that the design team chose to match the warmth of burnished brass and honey-coloured marble with the cooler mint-coloured velvet seating and jade Smeraldo stone finishings. A huge sheer fabric artwork depicting calming images of Eucalyptus foliage hangs over the front lounge.

CONTACTS Luchetti Krelle: (02) 9699 3425 or luchettikrelle.com

ANYTIME TRANSITION “We set out to create a restaurant which delivers what Sydneysiders and city visitors are looking for in a dining experience: simple, uncomplicated and delicious food in a comfortable setting with a touch of glamour,” says Simone Cordedda, Restaurant Manager, Mode Kitchen & Bar, who adds that the ability to transition between breakfast, lunch, dinner and drinks is a definite advantage.

Luchetti says that the bars and restaurants in Sydney’s hotels are changing, and part of the reason is that the city’s drinkers and diners are getting accustomed to visiting them.

The key is treating a hotel bar as a venue proper, with potential beyond its location. “Hotel bars are undergoing a transformation and becoming more lively, friendly and activated, which has the benefit of attracting locals and hotel guests alike,” she explains. “Having a distinct personality or atmosphere, coupled with intimacy in the venue, are key elements to creating a successful hotel bar. Patrons should feel that they have arrived at a destination which surprises and welcomes, rather than feel like they are sitting in a featureless corner of a hotel lobby which happens to serve drinks.” .

Invest In The West Leumeah Hotel: 543 Pembroke Rd, Leumeah NSW (02) 4621 8877 or www.leumeahhotel.com.au

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edcape Hotel Group has been investing into its Western Sydney assets… big time. It’s recently pumped $7m into a Cabramatta Hotel refurbishment and prior to that, $4m into the Leumeah Hotel as part of its concerted focus on refurbishing its pubs to cater for the local community.

The Leumeah Hotel refurb is a total transformation — nothing remains untouched, from the branding, signage, back of house, bathrooms, gaming, TAB, bars and anytime dining. It has turned the pub from a tired-old, locals-only tavern into a vibrant destination for families, punters, diners and groups of friends to enjoy a night out.

Leumeah Hotel may now be far more open and engaging to everyone in the community but the core market remains blokes who like a drink, a punt and the big game, so the pub has invested heavily in keeping faith with the men of Leumeah.

Key new ‘quintessential pub’ developments include: • The indoor/outdoor TAB area is large, comfortable and sophisticated — a premium entertainment experience, you might say.

• A new bar with an even greater range of tap beer (including the Carlton Draft unpasteurised Tank Beer).

• Brand new gaming lounge, including outdoor gaming, with a larger footprint, new dedicated bathrooms, bar and separate entrance.

• Vastly improved sports viewing options, including two giant screens.

• A much improved casual food offering, for an ytime dining.

Interior designer, Bianca Fraser, from the Unlisted Collective, was the creative eye behind the Leumeah redevelopment. The

CONTACTS Aurora Signage: (03) 9541 8888 or www.aurorasignage.com.au

colour scheme was inspired by nature, such as blues and tans, while honest materials such as timber and brick have been introduced for not only their practical qualities, but for their textures that add warmth and a diverse pallete to the spaces.

The old pub’s cramped ceiling heights have made way for skylights and more glazing, bringing the natural light streaming in.

BIG SCREEN GAME TIME Leumeah Hotel has a bunch of conventional LCD screens dotted about the venue, but wanted something special for its sports bar.

Increasingly, hotel operators are turning to LED displays to super-size their viewing options. LED sizes exceed the largest of LCD displays, while LCD video walls can be very expensive.

Meanwhile, large-format LED is increasingly affordable and can be easy to install.

One of the advantages of a big LED screen like the Leumeah Hotel’s is the high brightness. Even with sunlight streaming into the space, the Aurora LED display’s brightness really punches through.

The screen is hi-def and can be easily viewed from anywhere in the room, and for big events, such as the rugby State of Origin, have been a real focal point, and a great reason to get out of the house and enjoy the game with friends in a friendly party atmosphere.

Leumeah Hotel sees it as ‘the ultimate sports viewing experience’. .

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COME ONE COME ALL Suburban super pub brings fresh food and fresh beer to all.

Story: Christopher Holder Photos: Murray Fredericks Ambarvale Hotel: 57 Woodhouse Dr, Ambarvale NSW (02) 4627 8309 or ambarvalehotel.com.au

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he Ambarvale Hotel is a ‘super pub’ in Sydney’s west. Well, it is now. Not so long ago it was big hotel on life support, surviving on the opioid drip of pokie money. venue caught up with Ambarvale Hotel’s owner Colin Parras only a matter of weeks into the pub’s relaunch and he was remarkably calm. Calm considering the huge transformation he’s pulled off. Did I mention this is a large pub?

Ambarvale Hotel seats 600. 600 seats!

The hotel is more like a mothership to a variety of standalone venues. You could spend an evening at the Ambarvale Hotel every day for a week and not repeat the same experience.

Such is its capacity that the rebooted pub really needs to cater to everyone. Sounds like a cliché but the Ambarvale Hotel’s offering has to dispense with any and all barriers to entry. Got kids with you? That’s okay. Just want a coffee and a chat with friends. Easy. Enjoy a flutter and your privacy. You’re covered. Just after some lunch?

Need to organise a function? Are you a smoker?

On your own? A pensioner?

Anyone and everyone is welcome.

This ‘come one, come all’ ethos is like a cross between a mission statement and the commercial reality of running a super pub — this is no time to do ‘niche’.

“We bought this business with a heavy reliance on gaming revenue,” recalls Colin Parras. “It didn’t really have a viability without it. We thought that a pub with such a large footprint could do a lot better. That’s why we came in with a heavy food and beverage focus. It’s now a pub for everyone to enjoy. Gaming is important but is just another part of the business, we’re now a one stop-shop for food, beverage, entertainment, functions, cocktails, TAB, coffee, whatever you want.”

Welcome to the Ambarvale brewery. There are four large vats which has the capacity to produce some $5m worth of beer each year. The Smart Brew System allows Colin Parras and his team to take care of the brewing in house — no need to employ a master brewer.

“It’s early days,” remarks Colin Parras. “And it may well take 12 months to fully appreciate what the brewery brings to the business. Yes, there’s a large marketing component to the brewery operations, but I think anyone who’s enjoyed a fresh beer with their fresh food will understand the appeal.”

The brewhouse has the industrial appeal of a cold war-era Gdansk bier house. Like everything about the Ambarvale Hotel the dimensions are supersized.

Colin mentioned how offering ‘fresh food’, on a large scale, is challenging but manageable. It all starts with an investment in the back of house capacity. Again, Colin Parras and Paul Kelly have been around the block enough times to understand the importance.

“Many operators will only concern themselves with front of house,” observes Paul Kelly. “And for them it’s all about maximising traffic. But for a super pub like this to succeed — and this insight comes from hard-won experience observing badly planned venues that haven’t succeeded — you need to work with the client to seriously invest in back of the house.

“It’s all well and good getting people through the door but if they have to wait an hour for a meal or the quality of the product isn’t there or if there’s a stock shortage or staff go missing… well, there are many reasons to get your back of house right.”

ALL ABOUT BUSINESS Colin has worked with Paul Kelly Design for 20plus years, dating back to the launch of the Soho Lounge in Kings Cross.

Paul Kelly’s firm distinguishes itself thanks to a deep understanding of the commercial realities of hospitality. Yes, Paul Kelly makes things look nice but his firm’s input helps guarantee business success not just social media chit chat.

“We see ourselves as being in the hospitality development sector,” observes Paul Kelly. “Because of our 22 years experience and the 500-plus venues we’ve completed, we can address so many different facets of the market. Hospitality development has got very little to do with the colour palette or the choice of carpet — it’s not just about the way it looks but the way it functions.

“Without success we aren’t in business. If these ventures don’t perform then why bother paying for Paul Kelly Design? Sure, of course, it’s got to look good, function well and be durable, but it’s really about long-term popularity.

“In the case of the Ambarvale Hotel, for it to be popular, it was about understanding a very, very broad demographic.”

Nothing about the old Ambarvale Hotel was retained to inform the look or layout of the reboot. Instead, Colin Parras, Paul and his team looked at the suburb and its surrounds and determined who they would appeal to and how. Yes, they wanted to appeal to every man, woman and child in Ambarvale but more than that, the hotel would be a destination for a much larger Campbelltown catchment.

FRESH FOOD, FRESH BEER “Fresh food and fresh beer,” says Colin Parras of the key offer. “Getting the fresh food right is a big job but a manageable job, getting fresh beer right is a whole other level of difficulty .”

We thought that a pub with such a large footprint could do a lot better The Ambarvale Hotel back of house is industrial in its proportions. And every aspect has been considered. What’s more, there’s an eye to the possibilities of growth.

“You don’t want to grow successfully and then not have a back of house that can grow further with the client’s aspirations,” continues Paul Kelly.

“The facilities — the kitchen spaces, storage, bulk cooking, keg rooms, the delivery docks — they all need the ability to flex.

“The back of house really needs to suit the staffing requirements as well. A properly designed back of house can save an operator $200300,000 a year, thanks to staffing efficiencies.”

PART OF THE COMMUNITY The Ambarvale Hotel by necessity is a long term prospect. This isn’t a venture for a ‘flash in the pan’ operator looking to make quick, easy buck.

The numbers are big and require an experienced team who is unlikely to be spooked by the occasional head wind.

“It’s an intelligent business concept,” confirms

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SPORTS THEATRE

I may have insisted earlier that ‘this is no time to be niche’.

That’s true of the venue as a whole but not necessarily true of a venue within the venue.

Just witness, if you will, the Ambarvale Hotel’s Sports Theatre.

It’s not a Sports Bar (Ambarvale already has one of those with a huge ultra-narrow bezel LG Commercial video wall and TAB), it’s far more chilled than that.

Thanks to some nifty AV integration from TTE (ably led by Tim Teasdale), the Sports Theatre is an intimate room for sports fans to enjoy a comfy chair and a theatre-style entertainment experience. Think of it as a gold class lounge for introverted sports nuts.

Three LG Commercial panels line the front wall with a pair of Bose MA12 column speakers that provide nice tight sound dispersion, and when teamed with the Bose MB210 subwoofers provide more than enough excitement come game day.

Elsewhere Bose DS series loudspeakers are dotted throughout the venue, inside and out, both in-ceiling and surface mount. Q-Sys takes care of the audio management and processing. QSC and Bose amps power the loudspeakers.

All the incidental 55- and 65-inch displays are from the LG Commercial Hospitality range and come with a built-in digital tuner. Tim Teasdale relies on ZeeVee HD modulators to feed the screens content via coax — Foxtel, Nightlife music video or an input source.

“We’ve approached this project with an ‘everything everywhere’ philosophy. There are multiple zones, and each has its own source select and volume control. There are wall plates in each zone and you can also wander the venue with an iPad (running AMX) to control levels.”

TTE: 0410 625 811 or tim@ttegroup.com.au Bose Professional: pro.bose.com TAG (QSC): (02) 9519 0900 or www.tag.com.au LG: www.lg.com.au avt (AMX): (07) 5531 3103 or www.avt.tech AVD (ZeeVee): (07) 5561 7530 or www.avdistributors.com.au

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Paul Kelly. “It’s not one of those venues where you worry too much about its success; it’s such a long term play that will naturally grow because there’s absolutely nothing wrong with it as a business. It’s not risky, it’s just a very, very intelligent fitout.”

And one that’s been quickly adopted by the locals, with its reputation expanding inexorably throughout the area.

“The feedback has been very heartening,” say s Colin Parras. “Locals, who know I’m part of the team but don’t know I’m the boss, have approached me and thanked me for what we’ve done for the community by investing in the Ambarvale Hotel. That’s hugely gratifying.” .

CONTACT Paul Kelly Design: (02) 9660 8299 or paulkellydesign.com.au

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Blown Out of the Water Mounties Group CEO Dale Hunt walks us through the Harbord Diggers redevelopment.

Story: Christopher Holder Harbord Diggers: 88 Evans St, Freshwater NSW (02) 9938 1444 or harborddiggers.com.au

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H

arbord Diggers is the biggest story in club land and possibly all of Australian hospitality.

The new Diggers represents a total rebirth. I use the word ‘rebirth’ advisedly.

The new Harbord Diggers might be utterly unrecognisable but the 90-year-old club’s DNA is retained. Club CEO, Dale Hunt explains: “Harbord Diggers was established by six young blokes who had returned from WWI. They’d left plenty of mates behind at Gallipoli and the fields of Flanders. When they returned, they determined that they’d make their mates’ sacrifice mean something. They began raising money by selling boiled water to beach goers at Freshwater. Every half penny they raised, they threw into a bucket which they’d then leave anonymously at the door of a mate’s widow. From those humble beginnings they started Diggers: “That’s the Diggers legacy we simply couldn’t lose in the redevelopment.”

WRITING ON THE WALL Everyone knew the old Harbord Diggers was being left behind. At one point, with the writing was on the wall, the club submitted a development application for 16 townhouses on the site. The Freshwater locals made it clear they weren’t in favour.

In retrospect, it wasn’t that the locals weren’t in favour of development, per se, but they wanted a development that benefitted the community and not just 16 investors.

The club went

back to the drawing board. But rather than being less ambitious they did quite the opposite — a grand plan.

The new Harbord Diggers squeezes way more onto the headland parcel of land than any condo developer could ever dream of.

The site now plays host to what’s described as an intergenerational village. Some 96 retirement apartments are now on site. These are joined by an Ocean Terrace alfresco wining and dining area, bars, lounges, restaurants, café and kitchens, a children’s play area, a gaming floor, community spaces, a fitness and aquatic space, and administration centre.

“When clubs were first created it was about sharing a beer, feeding a few coins into the poker machines, and some live music or entertainment. Some 50 or 60 years later the communities around us have changed — they want different things nowadays.”

ASKING AROUND How does Dale know the community wanted something different? He asked them. Apparently, there’s only 9000 people in Freshwater and he reckons each one of them had a chance to have their say.

“When we proposed the 16 townhouses and to move the club, we had 6000 letters of complaint to council. They said it would be an overdevelopment. We went back to council, after asking the community what they wanted, with a proposal for 96 apartments, a new club, a fitness centre,

four restaurants, two cafes, child care, an aquatic centre, gymnasium, beauty salon, hairdresser and everything else… The result? More than 10,000 letters to council and only six in opposition to the proposal.”

Clearly the club was onto something. It was a bold plan; but at least with the community behind it, Dale knew they stood a chance.

Dale describes himself as an “ordinary bloke” and not some kind of high-flying corporate hot shot. But for an ordinary bloke riding shotgun on a $200m project he had a sense of destiny. He aimed high.

“I was determined I would hire the best architects in the world. So I went and got Mark Curzon (now Director of Fender Katsalidis). Here’s a guy who’s done the Parramatta tower, 1 Bligh Street in Sydney and created award-winning buildings all over the world. Next, I found Tai Ropiha from CHROFI. He won Architect of the Decade for what he did in New York. I wanted both of them, but no one told me you couldn’t make two architects from different firms work together. So we convinced them to create a partnership… just for this project. And then we found out they both live within 500 metres of the club! The structural engineers: we went and found the guys that rebuilt the World Trade Centre. I subsequently found out he lived about three kilometres from the club. It was like it was all meant to be!”

It was like the new Harbord Diggers was building a community even before the architectural plans were complete. And ‘community’ continued

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in six hours during ANZAC Day, Diggers did $150,000 worth of beer sales

to be the watchword… almost like those six young diggers, fresh from the trenches of Europe were sitting at the table.

“We knew we had to create a community gathering place. Like a lot of suburbs, our community had grown older, but even if you’d lived your entire life in Freshwater there was nowhere to retire. Which we thought was so wrong. So a retirement offering became part of the development.

And then we were talking about food and beverage. Clubs traditionally had done low-cost food but that’s not what our community wanted. Cost wasn’t the sticking point; it was value for money they wanted. So I went down the road to talk to Pilu — who owns and runs the ‘Best Italian Restaurant’ in Australia. You can imagine his initial reaction when I told him I wanted him to open a restaurant in our club. He nearly fell over.”

F&B: MANY HATS

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Ah, yes, the F&B. It’s utterly first class.

There’s an internal thoroughfare within Diggers dedicated to food. ‘Eat street’ consists of a variety of restaurants with their own internal and external access.

One of those restaurants is, indeed, AcquaFresca by Pilu — a casual Italian trattoria by renowned Italian Chef, Giovanni Pilu and his team from Freshwater.

“He could see the club’s vision and wanted to be a part of it. Then you add in Teddy Larkin’s Seafood and Steakhouse, add in the Main Bar, the DD Collective cafe and you’ve got a solid F&B offering. But more importantly in that mix you’ve got the childcare centre. The childcare centre has

an ‘Adopt a Nanna’ program and we added in the aquatic centre so the children get to learn how to swim. Then we added a fitness centre representative of the active lifestyle shared across the Northern Beaches”.

Dale could envisage a community hub for grandparent, parents and kids all to have a place at Harbord Diggers — and the F&B options are venues for those ‘garden fence’ interactions to occur.

PICKING THE BEST Building a ‘community with a broad portfolio of offerings for an intergenerational clientele’ almost rolls off the tongue in 2019. But back in 2009 when Dale and (then CEO) Greg Pickering decided they needed to ‘blow up’ Diggers and start again, inviting other operators in on your patch was almost unheard of… even The Star hadn’t really come to that realisation.

“I think that was the hardest thing I had to do during this entire project. It wasn’t the financial aspects; the hardest thing I had to do was recognise that other people could do things better than me.

“If I wanted to have the best venue in NSW I had to get the best people. So we simply went and found the best people in every field. Which was the nature of my conversation with Giovanni Pilu: ‘I want an Italian restaurant in the club. I want you, because you’re the best. But you can’t charge what you normally charge because we’re still a club!’ It was a challenge for both of us. But now, I can’t walk past Pilu’s venue without seeing it fully booked.

“Teddy Larkin’s the same: We are now the biggest, most successful club in Australia but I

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don’t run my own main bar at Harbord Diggers, that job is contracted to the management of the Manly Wharf Bar because he’s a better bar operator than I am.

“As an old-school clubs bloke that’s a bitter pill to swallow! But it’s proven to be the right decision.”

Fun fact: in six hours during ANZAC Day 2018, Diggers did $150,000 worth of beer sales.

STAFFED UP Dale might have delegated his bar operations but he retains the staff. In fact, he retained the staff all the way through the building process.

Dale Hunt: “We made some mistakes during the redevelopment. One was my determination to keep the club open the whole while.

“At one stage we had a huge Caterpillar D11 bulldozer operating 500 millimetres away from our customers and staff. It got to the stage where the beer was shaking out of people’s hands. We had to close. There was no choice. Saying that I wanted to keep our full-time staff on, which we did for a full 12 months. We paid their wages and they went and worked on local community projects and the like. It was the right thing to do.

You give back, you send the elevator back down.

I could have made more money if we hadn’t. It’s not all about the money. The money comes if you do things right.”

58,000 & HEADING NORTH It’s been a long time coming. And it’s changed a lot of things that we took for granted about licensed club operations. But the Harbord Diggers has arrived and it’s going gangbusters.

Dale Hunt: “Of course I made my forward projections but they’ve all been blown out of the water. It’s phenomenal. It’s exceeded every expectation.

“Prior to closing down for renovations we had 20,000 members. Now we have 58,000 and growing, and what’s even more amazing is the fact we have more female members than male.

“All the F&B outlets are thriving. We charge commercial rent on the restaurants plus we get a percentage rent of the upside — when volumes reach a certain threshold and go up we share in that success. The beauty of it is every one of those outlets have exceeded expectations and are doing phenomenally well.”

Fender Katsalidis: (03) 8696 3888 or fkaustralia.com CHROFI: (02) 8096 8500 or www.chrofi.com

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DESIGN VIEW

The subterranean site defines a majestic, single-aspect view across the ocean, a panorama that Fender Katsalidis sought to optimise framed views from within.

Fender Katsalidis director Mark Curzon: “We have used local materials indigenous to the headland, these natural elements connect the ocean and headland deep into the club. “A fully-operable glass façade provides the opportunity to seamlessly connect the inside and outside, allowing the north east breezes to flow into the space. “The views are multifaceted with those outside on the Ocean Terrace able to look inside at the warm tones of the cave-like interior and those inside enjoying the vibrant ocean as a contrast.”

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SOMETHING' S BREWING A big new suburb needs a big cold beer.

Story: Christopher Holder The Marsden Brewhouse: Hawthorne Avenue, Marsden Park NSW (02) 8710 3535 or www.themarsdenbrewhouse.com.au

SUCCESSFUL BUILD: TEAM EFFORT

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FDC Project Manager, Peter Stait: “It was a real pleasure working in a collaborative fashion with Andrew and his team, and the Laundy Hotels group. Having everyone at the table at the very inception of the process enabled the best outcomes in design excellence and construction efficiency to be baked into the design and budget, and reinforced throughout each stage. It provided a lot of value and certainty for the client, and was also just a thoroughly satisfying and enjoyable project for all parties.”

Altis Architecture Director, Andrew O’Connell: “The success of this exciting project was largely due to an outstanding team effort. FDC at all levels demonstrated exceptional attention to detail whilst delivering the project with speed and efficiency. Their ability to understand the Architectural intention of the build and preserve this through to completion was manifest throughout the entire process. The result is a building of design merit that was constructed in an expert manner according to budget and brief.”

FDC Construction & Fitout: (03) 9254 0000 or fdcbuilding.com.au Altis Architecture: (02) 9364 9000 or altisarchitecture.com

I

t didn’t take months of research. You wouldn’t have spotted teams of researchers, clipboards in hand, testing the Western Sydney waters. Marsden Park is a new suburb about the size of the Sydney CBD without a proper pub.

The Laundy Group knows pubs, and knows what the Sydney suburban heartland want in a pub. Really it was a matter of identifying the best site and then putting together the best possible team to realise the project.

One of the first appointments was Altis Architecture. Altis Architecture was engaged by the design and construction head contractor, FDC Construction, for all stages.

Altis knows hospitality: not only the design and construction of hospitality venues but the way they tick.

For all of The Laundy Group’s pub experience, it had never embarked on a new pub build. The Marsden Brewhouse was its first ‘green field’ venture. So Altis Architecture’s extensive experience would be crucial.

“The Laundy Group isn’t a ‘pub developer’, as such,” remarked Altis Architecture Director, Andrew O’Connell. “We were engaged to design a large pub for them, in the manner of the large taverns that are popular in the suburbs of Sydney.”

Altis Architecture became aware that The Marsden Brewhouse was different and important to The Laundy Group. By virtue of being a new build, The Marsden Brewhouse could be a true standard bearer for the pub group and become part of the legacy of veteran pub operator, Arthur Laundy.

In other words, it would be an important project — a project that would transcend its ‘frontier suburban tavern’ status.

“In the early planning phase we talked about Arthur producing his own beer,” continued Andrew O’Connell. “He’s been in the industry for a long time and this could be a good point of difference. And we’re not talking about a micro brewery — a vanity project — we’re talking about a fullblown production brewery that would not only supply this pub but other pubs in his group, and even be distributed more generally. So that was the focus of the building, a ‘hero’ aspect that became a brewhouse concept, which conspicuously takes pride of place in the building.”

The industrial-sized vats and tanks certainly make for a significant positioning statement. It’s clear to all, The Marsden Brewhouse takes its beer seriously.

COME ONE, COME ALL The large site is designed as a F&B destination for all in the area. There’s parking for days. There’s extensive outdoor dining and drinking — in fact, some 40 percent of the pub’s capacity is naturally ventilated and/or open the elements — and families are welcomed with open arms, thanks to kids’ play areas and family-friendly dining options.

The sheer scale of the hotel is daunting, and it was fascinating to discuss with Altis Architecture’s Andrew O’Connell how such a large floor plan can be ‘de-scaled’, as he puts it, to ensure the experience of The Marsden Brewhouse isn’t daunting.

The design and layout favours families. Groups of mums, dads and kids can access the hotel with ease. More adult-oriented zones of the venue, such as the TAB and the sports viewing lounge are located deeper into the pub, while family-oriented zones are immediately accessible, such as the bistro, casual Italian eatery and the areas adjacent to the playground (the conspicuous playground makes The Marsden Brewhouse’s kid-friendly credentials as obvious to families as the ‘show brewery’s’ stainless steel vats stamp its beer-lovers’ bona fides).

“Australia has moved on from the days of vast

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LOW PROFILE AV

Noisebox, MD, John McCauley: “The brief was for a very high quality AV deployment that would keep an unassuming, low profile. There are 26 audio zones serviced low impedance and constant voltage loudspeaker systems depending on the needs of the area. Q-Sys takes care of the audio processing and amplification. The function rooms feature AV as an essential element of the facility: presentations, program viewing, client-accessible facilities for self-management and AMX control systems feature heavily throughout. The MATV solution comprises of HD modulation of FTA and PTV channels. The TAB facilities use a variety of LG display technologies. The outdoor LED screen compliments the al fresco nature of the venue, delivering a variety of channels in standard definition high brightness for daylight viewing.”

Noisebox Integrated Technologies: (02) 9638 3300 or noisebox.com.au avt (AMX): (07) 5531 3103 or avt.tech TAG (Q-Sys): (07) 9519 0900 or www.tag.com.au LG: lg.com.au

dining halls you might find in licensed clubs some 15 years ago,” observed Andrew O’Connell. “The art of designing a large pub is to create sub spaces that people can feel comfortable in and experience something different every time.”

The journey into the hotel takes guests through these sub spaces, that target specific groups.

The TAB, public bar, sports viewing area, and big screen outdoor area are ranged to one side — predominantly attractive to men; while the café, lounges and alfresco lounging are on the other — predominantly favoured by women. It’s not some kind of hospitality version of gender apartheid so much as recognising the habits of human beings and catering to them.

EFFICIENT BACK OF HOUSE

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The venue’s sub spaces are comforting, welcoming and various, but the back of house story is very different: centralised, vertically consolidated over the three levels, and built for efficiency of service, food preparation and stocking.

The most obvious service point nexus is a huge four-sided bar that supports service to the courtyard on one side; internally to the main dining, public bar on the second side; the TAB on another side; and finally to the café and lounge area on the forth facet. The bar is visually open to allow sightlines through to all areas.

It’s an operational masterstroke.

The food service is mediated through a special ‘stack’ that originates from the basement on the

west side of the pub, which accepts the deliveries and is least visible from the street and arriving patrons. From the basement, the loading is transported to the next level where the production kitchens are located, and then moved up through the venue to main trading floor’s finishing kitchens and the function centre on the top floor that can cater to as many as 400.

The arrangement conceals the heavy-lifting aspects of the food prep, without denying patrons the chance to observe chefs plating up their meal or tossing their margarita into the wood-fired pizza oven.

A private dining room rounds out the feasting options, set banquet style for 18, in a magnificent space conducive to any manner of special occasion.

HOW DO I LOOK ‘De-scaling’ the floor plan into ‘sub spaces’ might be key, but so is making the venue look good — something Altis Architecture (with its awardwinning design nous) knows only too well.

The building embraces the industrial nature of the area — there’s a giant Bunnings down the road, IKEA has a huge warehouse nearby etc. Two simple, steel pavilion-style buildings form the basis of the brewhouse. Inside, the spaces remain intimate — no towering vaulted ceilings — but patrons can gaze up into the mechanical services.

The main design device to break up the internal spaces are screens. They’re not afterthoughts, they’re beautiful and play an integral role in the

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look of the brewhouse. The pendant lighting also make a statement in helping to break up the space into dedicated zones.

“The industrial bones of the space have been layered up to be a hospitality venue,” noted Andrew O’Connell. “You can still see the structure in ceilings, the steel frames, and the use of natural materials is a big part of the design ethos and contribute to ensuring the venue doesn’t date easily.”

Outdoors, the main courtyard is anchored by a huge tree — much like The Oaks Hotel in Neutral Bay, it will serve as the focal point. The courtyard look is sophisticated, with a variety of seating and dining options. A Real Flame ‘fire pit’ also serves to break up the space. You can sit out entirely in the elements, under cover, or, if you’re organised, you can book yourself a cabana — great for groups of up to eight.

The landscaping has been taken seriously, and one can easily imagine how the plantings will develop and evolve in time.

FAMILY FOCUS

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The Laundy Group and Altis Architecture has kept families foremost in their focus. Marsden Park is prime territory for young families staking their claim to affordable living. Sure, you can push the boat out by ordering the $50 rib eye, but the bistro menu has more kids’ menu items than most.

“With the growth of families in this area, that’s what a lot of people are looking for,” confirms Andrew O’Connell. “A place you can casually dine with friends and for there be more than enough to keeps the kids occupied and happy. Not everyone can afford a babysitter every weekend and the Marsden Brewhouse will offer a great night out while including the kids… without spending a fortune.”

The Marsden Brewhouse provides a remarkable blueprint for future new-build suburban taverns. Families help ensure a vibrant community atmosphere, and Altis Architecture has struck the right balance of all-ages compatibility without sacrificing style and sophistication. Yes, you can be a serious beer-led pub and maintain a great playground.

“Human beings are social animals,” observes Andrew O’Connell. “It’s a deep desire to find somewhere to go and be around other human beings.

The Marsden Brewhouse serves that purpose at all levels.” .

D E L Y T I L HOSPITA R E T T E B S I BIGGER UPSIZE N EASIER TO EE B ER EV N s with IT’S ter your patron af g in ok lo to Aurora is an When it comes you covered. s ha a or ur A , dozens LED large-format that has helped ny pa m co D g ned LE signage and bi Australian-ow upgrade their ls te ho d an s of pubs, club s and out. nment, indoor ai rt te en en scre

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Truly 1 of a Kind 1Oak Tokyo: 5 Chome-10-25 Roppongi, Tokyo, Japan 1oaktokyo.com

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ot a member of 1Oak? Shame on you. You mustn’t be mixing in the right circles when you’re in New York, Vegas or LA! Having expanded from its flagship venue in New York City, 1Oak, which stands for 1 Of A Kind, has now opened its most ambitious and state-of-the-art club to date; a three-floor, 1000-capacity venue at the base of Roppongi Hills in Tokyo.

Sacha Robertson at 1Oak Tokyo explains the key to this success: “At the heart of the 1Oak approach is a focus on differentiation through design and function, capturing and curating the energy in each club. Interior design and lighting combine to play a major part, but ultimately that energy has its origin in sound”.

Founder Richie Akiva’s vision is that of an entertainment venue; an inspiring space capable of hosting live music, launches, premieres, after-parties and VIP events. Versatility without compromise underpins the business model and is a key component of the sound system design. Morale continues “As a club, 1Oak is predominantly dance music and hip hop. As an entertainment venue we have top artists of all music genres performing here, so it’s important we can provide great sound, no matter what the character of the music happens to be. The feedback I’ve had from the many major DJs and Artists who have played here has been all positive.”

CONTACTS NAS (d&b): 1800 441 440 or nationalaudio.com.au

IN THE POCKET The interior design process was led by New York-based contemporary artist Roy Nachum, who was Grammy-nominated in 2016 for his cover artwork on Rihanna’s ‘Anti’ album. With the club interior complete and the opening date fast approaching, 1Oak engaged the local d&b audiotechnik team to design and implement the all-important sound system.

1Oak owner Salvatore Morale recalls, “As a DJ I appreciate sound. At around the same time we were building the club I had started to notice that in all the places I visited around the world and heard great sound, whether that was a big festival, a hotel bar or an opera house, I was seeing d&b speakers. This was a clear sign for me.”

Robertson expands, “The way we serve our clientele is through sound. 1Oak elevates the nightclub concept to an experience consistent with the best clubs and the best live events.

Who better to partner with to achieve that goal than d&b?”

Morale concludes “Every part of 1Oak Tokyo is always ‘in the pocket’ for sound. I know we’ve made the right call with the d&b system and I would have no hesitation doing the same for future projects.” .

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McDonald's Times Square

acca’s has a new Times Square outlet and it’s a doozy. Designed by local heroes, Landini Associates, the new restaurant replaces the original first opened in 1984. Built over three floors, the restaurant is an evolution of Landini’s global format for McDonald’s, Project Ray, named after the brand’s founder Ray Kroc (we’re told ‘Project Kroc’ was never seriously considered).

The colourful graphic environments that became the signature for McDonald’s internationally are replaced with a quieter approach; the walls are decorated only with occasional hints at the golden arches motif, framing the view outside.

A three-storey glass curtain wall provides customers with spectacular dining room views out to the beating heart of NYC, and a yellow staircase injects a pop of vibrancy.

Key features include: the main kitchen located in the basement, with orders being transported upstairs via dumb-waiters; natural light is supplemented with a computerised lighting sys-

tem conceived to dramatically alter the mood by day and by night; various seating types are defined by zinc, concrete and oak tables and benches; while the latest self-serve kiosks are dotted around the restaurant, not just near the traditional service and pick up points.

“Digital technology is reshaping customer interactions through models like table service, mobile order and payment, self-order kiosks and delivery focused on making delicious feel-good moments easy for everyone. With over 50 million visitors passing through Times Square annually, the restaurant is designed to accommodate one of the largest volumes of customer transactions in the US,” Max Carmona, Senior Director, McDonald’s!

Landini Associates: www.landiniassociates.com Photos: Andrew Meredith

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